What is it about?
Sedge is a commonly used herbaceous vegetation in urban landscapes. In this study, we found that sedge is sensitive to temperature changes and emits a large amount of isoprene during hot weather. Isoprene is an important precursor of air pollutants, especially ozone. Therefore, this behavior of sedges makes them an unrecognized source of air pollutants, particularly in urban areas.
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Why is it important?
Heat waves are becoming more frequent in the context of global warming, and they are often accompanied by peaks in air pollution, especially ozone. This study could help us understand why heat waves trigger peaks in air pollution. Additionally, we identified a widely observed temperature-response pattern of isoprene emissions among sedges, which updates our understanding of isoprene production from plants. Why sedges exhibit this different behavior could be an interesting topic for further research.
Perspectives
As the climate changes, vegetation experiences more environmental stress during extreme events such as heat waves and droughts, which alters their behavior in assimilating carbon and releasing VOCs. These changes will, in turn, affect the atmosphere and climate system. However, our understanding of how environmental stress influences plants and subsequently affects the climate and human society is still limited. Gaining a more fundamental understanding of this topic will certainly help us assess the impact of climate change in the future.
Hui Wang
University of California Irvine
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Heat waves may trigger unexpected surge in aerosol and ozone precursor emissions from sedges in urban landscapes, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, October 2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2412817121.
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